Executives' attitudes towards globalisation

Globalisation has emerged as an important phenomenon affecting the environment in which businesses operate. While trade and economic issues have dominated public perception of globalisation, we argue that it needs to be construed as a multi–dimensional construct. Based on a social representations perspective, this study surveys executives to discern their attitudes towards globalisation. Results suggest that executives perceive globalisation in complex ways and are influenced by cultural, political and environmental issues, in addition to the business and economic ones. Nationality, age and work experience significantly affect their perception. The varying perceptions of the executives can affect how organisations deal with the opportunities and threats in the global environment, so organisations would benefit from building an internal consensus on their global vision.